Why Did You Mess With Forever?
by jessibelle francesca
Summary: Basically it's 'What Goes Up Must Come Back Down, Right' but with a different title. A CrAsh story.
1. It's the Thought That Counts

Disclaimer: I wish I did, but I don't. These characters aren't mine. They all belong to the creators of all the Degrassi series and yeah, you know that, right?

**Author's Note:**** This is my take on the whole Ashley/Craig/Manny love triangle. Craig hasn't cheated on Ashley—yet—and they're doing fine and spiffy for a while. It's supposed to be set around the time of "Should I Stay or Should I Go?". It _might _be too AU, but I'm willing to take that chance. And after all, this _is _a fan fiction.**

****

Summary Reboot: Craig and Ashley spend their five-month (go with me on this one) anniversary in a special way [wink, wink…nudge, nudge]. But after Ashley gets the wrong signal from Craig after their special night, she decides to take a break, and their high school romance spirals downwards from there. But, what goes down must come back up, right? {Mainly and Ash/Craig story, obviously}.

"Has it really been that long since we've been going out?" Ashley Kerwin asked her boyfriend of five months, Craig Manning. She turned her attention from her locker to him, who was standing behind her.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," he said, trying to calculate the months they have been dating. His eyes darted side to side, just thinking about it. "Ever since the end of ninth grade, right? At the year-end dance?"

"Oh, right. So, I think that might be about five months…it's October, right?" Ashley asked.

"That's right…but you still have to wait six more day, milady," Craig said, leaning against the locker next to Ashley's.

"I hate waiting," she complained.

"I know," Craig told her. He pulled out something from his bag, which crinkled a little bit. He presented them in front of Ashley's hand, as she was about to grab her Algebra book in her locker, so she caught it just in time. "They're for you. They, uh, weren't as wilted this morning. It must've been something in my bag."

Ashley just held them in front of her, studying them.

"I know, it sucks, and I'm sorry. But I have six more days to make up for this, right?"

"That's right, you do. And it's okay, Craig. There are a few carnations in here that are still alive—sort of. But that's not the point, right? It's the thought that counts," Ashley said, closing her locker and taking Craig's hand in hers.

"That's very cliché of you, Miss Kerwin," Craig joked. He kissed Ashley's cheek before the two started to walk to Mr. Simpson's classroom.

"So how are things with the band?" Ashley asked. Lately, Ashley had been missing the guys' band practice because of commitments with SITE and everything.

"Um, we're doing a little better. Spinner's finally gotten used to the beat of the song we're trying to work on. And Marco's picking up the bass pretty well, you know," Craig explained as they turned the corner.

"Did I just hear my name?" Marco said as he joined the two.

"Hey, Marco," Craig and Ashley said in unison.

"Hey guys, you two are looking cuter and cuter everyday." Marco fell into step beside Craig and looked over at Ashley. "You're looking rather lovely today, Ash. And might I add, you look very ecstatic."

Ashley held up her bouquet of flowers and turned them so that Marco could see the reason behind her happy self. "Craig got them for me. He shoved them in his bag and now they're dying a bit…"

"But it's the thought that counts, right, Ash?" Craig finished up.

"Right you are." Ashley puckered her lips, and Craig planted a gentle kiss on them.

"All right, PDA? I'm not up for it," Marco said, rushing into Simpson's class to avoid the whole scene.

Once it was just the two of them, Ashley pulled Craig aside.

"All right, so we've been going out for five months now. How do we plan on spending this momentous occasion?" she asked him.

"Well, I was thinking maybe a date to the movies or to the mall. You could come over for band rehearsal on Friday again, since you've been missing it so much," Craig suggested.

"Uh-uh. We've invaded the movies more times than the average moviegoer. The mall is not my favorite place to be, unless it's for something important. And as much as it's tempting, I wanted to do something that involves you and me, and just us," Ashley told him.

The two of them just stood there for the longest time, looking at various items, thinking of ways to spend the their anniversary together. Then, finally, the light bulb clicked on in Craig's head.

"Well, this Saturday, Joey and Angie will be gone to spend a weekend with Sydney. They're going to Montreal to do some things, don't ask me what. And Joey finally trusts me alone in the house for the weekend once again, thanks to much persuasion by Caitlin, of course," Craig said. "So, I don't know if you want to come over and, you know, just hang out."

"Sounds rather lovely," Ashley agreed. "Besides, I was thinking…"

"Of?"

"Well, I was thinking that I'm ready to, you know."

"Ash, what are you trying to say?"

Ashley pulled Craig closer to her so that she could whisper in his ear. "That maybe I am ready to…have sex…with you."

"Wha—? Oh…OH! I see. Well then, Miss Kerwin, I think it's a date. This Saturday, you and me, babe."

"Sounds like a plan, Mister Manning, you sexy man, you."

The two laughed at each other's dorkiness and then kissed each other. Just then, the bell rang and Ashley and Craig both piled into class with the rest of the tenth graders.

Please leave a review for anything you would like to say. __


	2. Why It's Good to Have Gay Friends

**Summary Reboot: ****Craig and Ashley spend their five-month (go with me on this one) anniversary in a special way [wink, wink…nudge, nudge]. But after Ashley gets the wrong signal from Craig after their special night, she decides to take a break, and their high school romance spirals downwards from there. But, what goes down must come back up, right? **

Two days had passed, and suddenly Wednesday is upon the kids of Degrassi Street. Craig was stressing because, though he had already given Ashley a bouquet of half-wilted flowers, a box of chocolates, and recently, an assortment of helium balloons shaped as hearts in pink and red, he still hadn't had the 'Mack-daddy present of them all' for their actual anniversary day. He had already planned out a card to give Ashley for the next day, and then a big, brown teddy bear for Friday. But today, he still was frustrated because he didn't know what the hell to give her for Saturday, other than, well, his virginity.

So, Craig sat down in the MI Lab and put on a serious face. Many ideas ran through his head—lingerie [_Nah, _he thought. _She wouldn't be pleased_], a Ramones shirt or CD [_Got that covered on the three month anniversary, _he reminded himself], maybe some time a studio, just the two of us, working on songs and such [_But that costs money, and I already am on the 'broke' side because of all these pre-anniversary gifts_.]

After much deliberation, Craig decided to get an excellent, and not to mention expert source of information for this situation.

"Dude, I need your help, _seriously,_" Craig told Spinner. He leaned against the locker next to Spinner's while Spinner gathered all his books.

"Yeah, you said that already," Spinner responded, looking up at Craig. "So, what is so major that you need to ask me for advice on right at this moment?"

"I, uh, I don't…well, um, are you…what do you think I should get Ash for our anniversary on Saturday?" Craig finally said.

Spinner shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know. She's _your _girlfriend."

"I know that!" Craig said in frustration. "I just…I don't know what she wants."

"Then why don't you ask her yourself, so you know what to get her, and so she can have the satisfaction of getting what she wants," Spinner responded.

"I can't do that."

"Why not? It's genius."

"Yeah…if I want to ruin the element of surprise." Craig banged the back of his head against the locker. "What am I going to do?"

"Dude, dude, relax, okay?" Spinner told him, holding his arms out, as if they would automatically stop Craig from giving himself a headache. "I'll ask Paige to ask what Ash wants for your anniversary, so you won't go out of your damn mind just thinking of something, all right?"

"Yeah, Spin. Have your girlfriend ask my girlfriend what she would like to our anniversary sounds peachy," Craig spat out sarcastically. "There's no sentiment in that."

"Craig, you are so lame, you know that?"

"Speak for yourself, Mr. Baby-Talk, Mr. 'Oh Paige, my little Pumpkin Bunny'."

"Ha-ha," Spinner said in a dry and monotone voice.

"Anyway, I'm going to go and see Marco," Craig said, as he started to walk away. "I'm thinking he can help me more than you can."

"Fine, whatever," Spinner said, shrugging your shoulders.

On the other side of campus were Ashley, Ellie, and Marco, sitting outside of DCS, eating lunch and exchanging stories of many things. The topic at the current moment was the fact that one of Ashley's heart balloons, the one that's pink and decorated with a half-naked, flying baby with a bow and arrow with a heart as its tip, was putting Marco in danger of being beaten to death by it.

"Ash, it's either you're going to have to deflate that balloon, as it has evil intentions to kill me and, more tragically, ruin my hair, or I'm leaving the table," Marco jokingly said.

Ash and Ellie looked at each other, unable to hold in their giggling.

"Well, then, Elle and I are going to miss you very much, Marco," Ashley laughed as she lowered the balloon and his it under the table.

"So, the 'big night' is in three days, huh?" Ellie asked, doing that whole 'quote-un-quote' finger thing.

Ashley turned to her. "Yeah, it is. I'm pretty excited, but nervous too."

"Why nervous? It's only dinner with Craig, and then a night of hanging out, right?"

Ashley shrugged her shoulder. She had never told any of her friends what she and Craig had planned to do on Saturday. Neither did Craig tell _his _friends. At least, Ash hoped he didn't.

"I guess. But, I just want that day to be spectacular, you know? I don't want it to go horribly wrong," Ashley explained. "I mean, I love Craig…I guess."

"You guess, or you know?" Marco asked, leaning toward the two girls.

"I know." Ash smiled sheepishly.

"Have you gotten him anything yet?" Ellie asked her.

"Oh shit!" Ashley gasped, slapping her hand over her mouth. "Oh crap! Oh bugger! Oh damn it!" She turned to Ellie. "I haven't gotten him anything." She then turned to Marco, shaking her head in disbelief in her foolishness. "I haven't gotten him anything!"

"Ash, Ash…it's okay!" Marco and Ellie told her.

"It's all right, Ashley," Ellie said. "You have three more days."

"I know…but what if I get something that's crap? I mean, I'm pretty sure he's going to get me something pretty nice. But I can't even get him something nice myself. Crap!"

"Ash, it's okay. We can go down to the mall today, no problem. You, me, and Ellie—just the three of us chaps, shopping and hanging out at the mall, okay?" Marco suggested. "Ash?"

"Are…you okay?" Ellie asked, tapping her friend on the shoulder.

After much hyperventilation, worrying, nodding of the head, and flapping of the arms as if she were some silly, flightless chicken, Ashley calmed down.

"I'm—I'm fine…I need to recover from this," she answered, fanning herself. "All this time Craig has been spoiling me, I can't believe I forgot that I had to give him something in return."

"Well, at least you remembered before it's too late," Marco pointed out.

"I know, and I have Ellie to thank for that," Ashley said, turning her body to face Ellie, whom she hugged.

"Oh, speak of the devil…" Marco said abruptly.

And as abruptly as Marco made his affirmation, Craig took a seat next to Marco.

"Hey, I need to talk to you," he said in a hushed voice, ignoring Ellie and Ashley, sitting opposite the two of them.

"About?" Marco asked.

"It's about Ash and this Saturday night. I need your help with…"

"A-hem," Ashley and Ellie coughed. As Marco and Craig looked at the two of them, Ash and Ellie sat still, their hands clasped in front of them. Ashley tilted her head toward the right, slightly, just staring at him. "With what, Mr. Manning?" she asked mischievously.

"Um…hey, love," Craig said, getting up to slide next to Ashley. He kissed her neck. "Um, is it all right if I talk to Marco privately?"

"I don't know, it depends on what the topic is about," Ashley said, pulling her head away from Craig's, so as to not view him with a crossed-eye way. "If it's about the band, then I'll stay. If it's about the gang, I'll stay. If it's about me, maybe I'll leave. If it's about girls, I'm _definitely _staying."

"It's about Saturday night, Ash," Craig said, tipping his head low.

"Oh. So do you want to take Marco away, or would you like Ellie and I to leave?"

"It really doesn't matter," Craig said.

"All right, then," Ashley said, getting up. She grabbed her balloons from under the table and turned her head so that she could kiss Craig's cheek. "See you later, guys."

"Are we meeting up after school?" Craig asked, puling Ashley's head back for more.

"Um, no. Ellie, Marco, and I have already made plans," she answered after pulling away from Craig's lips. Then, their lips pulled together again.

"Plans for what?" Craig asked, their lips apart again.

"Nothing," Ashley said, shaking her head. She didn't want him to know that they were going to buy his anniversary present, for it shamed her for him to see how forgetful she tends to be. "Well, Ellie and I have to be going. We don't want the two of you two not talk today, right?"

Ashley grabbed Ellie's hand and pulled her away from the table, so that they could both exit quickly and without Craig's suspicion.

"Bye," Ellie said to the two guys, waving her free hand and displaying a look of 'Help me, please.'

Craig watched the two of them go, shaking his head as if they were insane. Once he was sure they were both gone, he turned to Marco, leaned in close to him and said, "What should I get Ash for Saturday?"

"Well, I don't really…" Marco began.

"Please, Marco! I need your help. I've already asked Spinner, and he was no help. I found Jimmy somewhere in the cafeteria and asked his advice, but he gave me none, just that 'Ash was a difficult person to buy gifts for', and I would ask either Paige, Ellie, or Terri, but I somehow don't trust them, as they might tell Ash." Craig stopped to take in a deep breath. "You need to help me."

"Craig, calm down," Marco said, finally being able to get in his words. "You're totally overreacting."

"Well, I can't help it! I want to get Ash something special, something nice. But I don't know what to give her."

"Well, a simple necklace or bracelet would do."

"Marco, I've already given her that, last month, remember?"

"Oh, right. Well, what are you looking for?"

Craig bit his lower lip, deep in thought. "Well, I was thinking Ash could do with something that she can keep forever, something that's hers, and hers alone. I want her to be able to see how I really feel about her, which is very deeply, I can tell you that," Craig explained. "I want it to be special, for her and me."

"Well, why don't you write her a song?" Marco suggested.

"A song? Seriously?" Craig answered, unsure.

"Yeah, a song. It's totally original; it's going to be by you. You're going to be writing it, so you can pour all your emotions and feelings into it. Then, you can either play it acoustic—or with the band, it doesn't matter—and you could record it on a tape and give it to her, so she can listen to it for all her life."

Craig sat there, staring at Marco, contemplating this thought. He bit his lower lip again, and tapped his thumbs on the table.

"You are one total freaking genius, Marco!" Craig finally said, slapping his hand down on the table. Apparently, he **loved **the idea. "You are a bloody savior and a total genius, you know that?"

"Don't you think I do?" Marco asked with a smile on his face. "Need help with anything else?"

"Well, I was thinking…maybe you could possibly help me out with the cooking department."

"What?"

"Well, I planned on having this candle light dinner thing with Ash, and since Joey and Angie will be gone, I was thinking that maybe you could come over my house for the day and help me prepare dinner for Ash—complete with candles, rose petals, and the entire Beatles collection," Craig pitched.

"Just say the time and I'll be there," Marco said, spreading out his arms and cocking his head to the side, as if he were some kind of hotshot.

"Kick ass! Thank you so much!" Craig said, reaching his arm over so that he could pat Marco's shoulder.

"And _that's _why it's good to have gay guy friends," Marco gloated with a smile.


	3. The Great Present Race

"Marco, would you quit obsessing?" Ellie asked. She uncrossed her arms and did her best to pull Marco away from the mirror in the middle of the room.

"Wait, Elle," he said, running his hands through his hair and then smoothing out the jacket he had on. "Ellie!"

It was too late. Ellie had a tight hold of Marco and pulled him to the couch, the one Ashley was sitting on, looking at the clothes that she displayed on the couch's back. She looked up at her two friends.

"Marco, I thought we were shopping for _Craig _here, not you," Ashley chuckled.

Marco looked a little guilty. And he should be, because throughout the whole time the three of them were shopping in a men's apparel store or something similar to that, Marco would disappear for fifteen minutes and mysteriously emerge out of nowhere with a handful of jeans, shirts, and hats. When asked if any of them were for Craig, Marco would always give the same answer: "Well, not really. They're for…me…"  
"Look, I'm sorry. This jacket was just _too _good to leave on the rack. I just called my name out, and I _had _to try it on, guys," Marco said, looking apologetically at Ashley and Ellie.

"And here I thought shopping was a _girl's _game," Ellie joked, rolling her eyes. She held out her hand, which had a hanger in it, out to Marco and stared at him. "Mr. Del Rossi—the jacket, please."

He smiled, trying to persuade her to let him keep the jacket on, but when it didn't work, he huffed, his shoulders heaving down, and sighed. "Fine, take the one good thing from me, Miss Nash. You can take my jacket, but you can't take my privilege to come back to this store and buy it tomorrow afternoon!"

Ashley just laughed as she watched Marco pathetically take off the jacket. He handed it over to Ellie, who hung it on the hanger and walked away from the waiting area in the dressing room. When it was only just Ashley and Marco, Ashley grabbed onto Marco's arm and pulled him closer to her.

"All right, jacket boy," she said, almost menacingly, but in a joking manner. "You need to help me pick out a good present for my boyfriend."

Marco knelt in front of the couch, staring at the T-shirt display. He rested his chin on his clenched hand and biting his lower lip, so serious and deep in thought. Then, he tossed the following items: a blue shirt with a white picture on top and displaying the quote 'Never Underestimate Canadian, eh', a red shirt with a display of the state of Texas, a pair of jeans that mysteriously made its way onto the T-shirt display, and a black shirt with the label 'Nothing But The Best' in big, red letters.

"So, you think these should stay?" Ashley asked him. She pointed at the leftover tees.

Marco thought about it for a moment and then said, "Frankly, Ash, I think none of them should."

"New store?" she asked him.

He nodded his head slowly, as if in deep remorse for a transfer of location. "New store."

They both put away the clothes neatly where they had found it, and then grabbed Ellie, who was walking back to the dressing room unknowingly, and then headed out of the store.

The whole afternoon had been like this—Ashley and Ellie picking out the things that would best suit Craig, but then Marco vetoing it after a quick review. Sometimes, it would be Ashley who gave the potential gift items the axe, but it was mostly Marco doing the chopping.

"I just don't get it," Ashley said, as they three sat on a bench directly out of the store they had been in. She leaned back a bit, resting on the railing that was behind the bench. "I say that love the guy, but find him a simple anniversary gift, then all I know about Craig is nothing. I thought these things were supposed to be hard for the _guys, _easy for the girls."

"Hey, don't discourage yourself," Ellie said. "Sometimes it's the ones you really care about that's hard to get gifts for. You know, you're always searching for that 'perfect thing', and really, Ash, there is no such thing as a perfect thing."

"I know. I just wish that I could find something for him that's really nice and sentimental."

"Well, why don't we go and get him a shirt, then?" Marco said after a long break.

"Marco, did you _not _hear what Ashley just said?" Ellie asked as Marco stood up from his seat and faced the two girls. "About sentiment?"

He held a 'so what' look on his face and shrugged his shoulders. "What? I heard. I just thought that maybe Ash could buy Craig a shirt, you know as a side present. Then, the whole 'sentiment' deal can come in with a little thing I'd like to call 'Poem Book'."

"'Poem Book'?" Ash asked in a hesitant way. "As in, Ms. Kwan's assignment for last year's English class, 'Poem Book'?"

"No," Marco said, dismissively. "'Poem Book' as in, 'I'll show how I really, truly feel about Craig through a string of love poems and secret love letters', 'Poem Book'."

"What?" Ellie and Ashley asked together.

"Ash…" he said slowly. "You. Can. Write. Craig. A book. Of poems. For your. Anniversary. So you can. Show him. How you truly. Feel. Okay?"

"Oh, I get it," Ashley said, nodding her head. "A book of sentimental, somewhat sappy, love poems. All right, all right."

"Yeah, so let's buy that boyfriend of yours a little 'side gift' and let's call it a day," Marco said, clapping his hands together before grabbing Ash and Ellie by the arms.

"Yeah, let's," Ellie agreed, getting up.

The three of them wandered around, looking for that vintage store that Craig loves so dearly. They were about to walk in when one of the sales associates walked up to them.

"Hey, kids," the highly pierced woman said to them. Her bright pink hair kept any of the three from ignoring her and continuing their shopping conquest. She held out a booklet of coupons to them. "You can go crazy with this packet of free deals and crap like that."

"Free deals?" Marco asked, looking at the booklet he had in his hands. "Like…"

"Like half off everything on that wall," the Pink Woman said, pointing at the back wall, where a guy on a tall ladder was putting up a display of new shirts.

"I don't think I'll be finding this useful," Marco said, handing the booklet back to the woman. She gave a questioning look. "Not my style of clothes," he explained.

The woman sighed heavily and took the book from Marco. She turned to Ellie, who handed it back to her as well. "You too?"

"I don't think I need it either," Ellie said, giving no explanation.

At that moment, Ashley opened her coupon book and flipped through it. In the middle, she had found the perfect shirt that surely matched Craig so much; she could just see him in it at that moment. She smiled and looked up. The woman was facing her now, giving her a look that told her 'sooner or later, honey. I got no time.'

"Um, I think I'm going to keep this," Ashley said, holding onto the coupon and walking into the store. "It's going to help me so much with this present business."

Craig was sitting on the couch in his garage. He leaned against one of the couch's arms, his left leg resting on the couch, and his right foot hanging off of it. He left arm was placed on the top of the couch. His right hand was busy scribbling down lyrics in the notebook on his lap.

He took the pencil to his mouth and tapped the eraser tip on his lips. He clearly was in a state of writer's block. He looked down at the once clean sheet of notebook paper, with all its swiggles and crossing out of words. There were also side notes like: _What are you trying to tell Ash? _Or, _Must take that out. Sounds too needy._ Along with the side notes were doodles and things like that. Craig was about to write a little more when someone burst through the door.

"Hey, ho…this is where the party's at, yo!" Spinner called out, his arms waving around in the air. Jimmy was directly behind him, shaking his head in shame.

Apparently, their arrival had shocked the living daylights out of Craig, as his eyes were bugged out so widely, they had looked like two chocolate donuts stuck onto his face.

"So, are we practicing or what?" Jimmy asked Craig, going to where his guitar was. He picked it up from its stand, plugged the cord into the amp, and then began tuning it.

"Yeah, dude. Where's Marco?" Spinner asked, sitting in his seat behind his drums.

Craig stood up quickly, hiding his notebook under the pillow he leaned against.

"Marco—he's, uh, with Ash and Ellie. They're doing some shopping or something," Craig said. "Therefore, there is no practice. So, goodbye."

Craig took Jimmy's guitar from him, unplugged it, and placed it on the stand once again, and pushed him away. Then, he walked over to Spinner, snatched his drumsticks out of his hands, and kicked him off his chair.

"What are you doing, man?" Jimmy asked, somewhat ticked.

"Yeah, why are you kicking us out?" Spinner asked, staggering a bit because Craig had pushed him towards Jimmy.

"Look, I am working on something, all right? I really don't want anyone to be in here right now, because I need some alone time and some peace. Now kindly…" Craig pointed at the garage door.

"What?" Spinner and Jimmy said together. "Man, that's low."

"Come on. I need this. I can't concentrate."

"What are you doing? We can help," Jimmy offered, then he looked at Spinner, who was smiling smugly. He rolled his eyes. "Well, _I'll _help you."

"It's a song for Ash," Craig lightened up. He went to the couch to retrieve his notebook and then tossed it at Jimmy. "I don't know how to form the words or anything. I mean, it's all in my head, but when I write it down…"

"It's lethal crap?" Spinner helped. Jimmy nudged him, hard, and then gave him an icy glare.

"Yeah, that's exactly right. Spinner's right for the first time," Craig said, taking a seat on the sofa. Spinner took this chance to look back at Jimmy, this time with a 'I win, ha-ha' smile.

"Well, I can't judge something I have never seen," Jimmy said, bringing the notebook to his face. "Let's see. You've already got—many things crossed out. What's up with this, man?"

Spinner took a look at the book. He pointed at something and then said, "Didn't we already use that line somewhere in one of our songs?"

"What? Which one?" Craig stood up and stood next to Spinner, looking at the words he wrote that. The two handed him the notebook.

"That one. We used that in the song that had that insane drumming, remember?"

"Dude, that was a song about mental instability, not about Ashley," Jimmy debated, slapping Spinner's head.

"Well, you could've fooled me."

"Guys, come on. I really, really, _really _need to work on this. And no offense, Spinner, but you're not really helping me," Craig said. He put on a miserable face, which Spinner missed. But Jimmy caught it in one glance and understood.

"You know what, Spin. I think Hazel and Paige are waiting for us at the Dot. We'd better go. You know how Paige gets when her honey-bunny takes too long to get to one place," Jimmy said, placing one arm around Spinner's shoulder, and using his other hand to pinch Spinner's cheek.

"Jimmy, I swear…" Spinner released himself from Jimmy's hold.

But Jimmy just place his hands on Spinner's shoulder and led him out of the garage, as if Spinner needed the help. Once Jimmy got him out of the garage, he turned back to Craig and gave him a look.

"Hey, thanks for that, Jim," Craig said. He sat down on the couch again and fell downward.

"No problem. Just make sure you're finished with your song by tomorrow. We need to practice."

"Yeah. All right. See ya later."

"Bye," Jimmy said, walking out and closing the garage door behind him.

Craig held up the notebook in front of his face and checked out all the words and things he crossed out.

"Wait a minute…I _did _use that line in that 'mental instability' song," he told himself. He dropped the book on his lap, shook his head, and rubbed his eyes. "I _really _need to get to work right now."

He picked up the notebook and searched for the pencil he used in the couch cushions, only to find that he tucked it behind his ear. Once he was ready, he scribbled down all the words that he knew would describe how he felt at the moment.

Hey again. Thanks for the reviews and such. Well, I hoped you like this chapter. I know I could've put more plot into the whole shopping thing with Ellie, Ash, and Marco. Oh, and if you're wondering why I pick on Marco so much [the first chapter (well, not really), the second chapter with all the balloons, and this chapter with his jacket and stuff] I don't really know why I pick on Marco. It's just something I felt was funny. Besides, Marco's the only guy there when it's just him, Ellie, and Ash. So, I felt that I had to input some humor in that plot, and that was to pick on Marco. And who picks on Ellie and Ash, really? I guess it's easier to poke fun at guys.

** Anyway, thanks for the reviews.**


	4. Goth Girl and Photo Boy's Romantic Night

"That was fabulous," Ashley said as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. She dropped the napkin beside her plate and looked up at Craig. "Did you make this yourself?"

Across the table, Craig let out a sheepish smile, to which Ash smiled as well. He grabbed her hand and said, "Well, it all depends on what you mean by 'this'."

"Okay, so who made the garlic bread?" Ashley asked.

"Uh…that would be Marco," Craig answered, feeling a little defeated. But Ashley only smiled at him, which made him feel slightly better.

"Okay, and the pasta?"

"That would be…Marco."

"The salad?"

"Del Rossi."

"So, how about the cake then."

"Oh, well, that was all me," Craig finally said happily. He smiled and leaned back against the back of the chair. "I made that cake."

"Really now?" Ashley said.

"Well…to tell the truth, I actually bought the cake from the bakery," he answered truthfully. "But, I did make the effort to go down to the store and pick up the cake."

"Yes you did, and I'll give you credit for that," Ashley said, leaning over the table to kiss Craig.

"Thank you," he said back as Ashley sat down again.

"So, Marco was in charge of the food, huh," she said. "What about the decorations? Did you get Michalchuck, Aden, and McGregor to help out?"

"Actually, the decorations were made possible by Del Rossi, Nelson, and Nash."

"Well, remind me to thank all three of them. The Jeremiah-Manning household is much more romantic now."

"And it has never been before?"

"Not really," Ashley answered, with a little grimace. "Not with all of Angie's toys lying around."

"Well, I cleared all of that just for you, Ms. Kerwin."

"So, are we all done down here? I'd like to see what upstairs looks like," Ashley said, a little excitement and anticipation in her voice.

"It looks exactly the same, Ash. Just with a bit of…"

"Of what, Manning?"

"You'll just have to see," Craig said with a mischievous smile on his face. He got up from his chair, collected his plate, and went over to the other side of the table to gather Ashley's dishes. "You can head upstairs, Ash. It won't take me too long to wash these."

"No, let me help. I mean, it's the least I can do for you, after you and the others put so much effort into making this night perfect."

"And…what is the verdict?" Craig asked as Ashley took her place beside Craig in front of the sink.

"Well, since the night isn't fully over, I can't really give an overall verdict. But what I can tell you that tonight, so far, is going so well and nice, I feel like I'm floating on Cloud Nine."

"That's exactly the answer I'm looking for," Craig said. He kissed Ashley on the cheek as he turned on the faucet.

Once all the dishes were finished, it was time for Craig and Ashley to exchange presents with each other. Ashley wanted to go first, and because Craig wasn't quite ready with his present, he let her go first.

"All right, here," she said, placing a nicely wrapped box on Craig's lap. There's a big bow on it, and there's no space for a gift tag that says 'To Craig, XO Ash'.

Craig lifted it up from his lap and shook it a bit. "It's a bit on the heavy side, isn't it?" he said with a smile. He turned to Ashley and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "This isn't one of those gifts where you constantly wrap a box in another box until it's really tiny, is it?"

"Well," Ashley said with a playful smile, "look for yourself and see."

Craig did as he was told, unwrapping the gift slowly, so as to save the wrapping paper and place on his locker, or so he told Ashley. When he finally got to the box part, he cut up the tape pieces and practically pulled off its cover, the anxiousness finally settling in.

"Hawksley Workman? Where'd you get this shirt from?" Craig demanded of Ash. He held up his band tee. "You know I love this guy!"

"I know, that's why I bought that shirt," Ashley answered. "It was one of the few that was in that vintage T-shirt store you love so much. Ellie, Marco, and I walked in and that was the first thing that caught my eye. I knew you'd love it, but I didn't think you'd like it this much!"

"I love it, Ashley!" He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Man, this is so amazing. I am wearing it first thing on Monday. All right, my turn." He put the box on the side, but Ashley held his arm, as if to tell him to stop that.

"Hold on, Craig, there's more in there," she laughed. She grabbed the box and placed it back on his lap.

Craig rummaged through the tissue paper, looking for his remaining gifts. "What's this?" he asked, pulling out a little tiny booklet. He flipped the pages.

"That, my dear, is a coupon book for little things," Ashley responded. "I know, it's a little weird and corny. But I got the idea from that vintage T-shirt store. They were handing out these little coupon books when I went there."

"'A day of Ashley-free activities'?" Craig asked, quite confused. "What do you mean by this?"

"Well, it means that, if things are a little crazy at home, or school, or anywhere in general, just hand this coupon into me, and I'll know when to back off."

"Well, that's one coupon I'll never use," Craig said. He flipped the booklet to a newer page. "Hmm…'free backrub from yours truly'. Now this, I like."

"It's lame, I know…" Ashley said to herself, mostly.

Craig turned to her. "What? I didn't say that. It's not lame at all. It's great." He put the coupon book on top of the shirt and continued looking through the box. "Oh, what's this?"

"Open it," Ashley urged, opening the cover for him.

"Well, let's see," Craig said, leaning back on the sofa, crossing his legs in the manly way, and placing an arm on Ashley's shoulder.

"My Craig," he read. "This is a book that shows my whole soul, something you know inside and out, as if it were your own. All these poems, though some are not original, are all the feelings I feel when I think, speak, listen, or see you. I hope you keep this close to your heart, as I have put so much of mine in it. I love you, Craig, with my whole heart, soul, and body. Ash."

Craig turned to Ashley, who was closing her eyes, as if embarrassed by her own words. He rubbed her shoulder with the hand that was wrapping over it, and kissed her forehead. Then, with the hand that held the book, he turned the page to find a poem to read out loud.

_In Your Light I Learn How to Love—Rumi_

__

_In your light I learn how to love._

_In your beauty, how to make poems._

__

_You dance in my heart,_

_Where no one sees you,_

__

_But sometimes I do,_

_And that sight becomes art._

"So, I'm your muse, too?" Craig asked Ashley, whose eyes were still closed, but her head against Craig's shoulder. "Ash? You okay?"

"Uh, yeah," she said, opening her eyes. "I was just reciting that poem by memory. I just really liked that poem."

"Me too. Now, let's read one of yours," he said, turning the page again. He stopped at a page and automatically knew that Ashley wrote that poem on that page.

_Goth Girl and Photo Boy_

__

_Dressed in all black, vampire in disguise._

_The world seemed such a dark place._

_Nothing seems to fit right anymore._

__

_Camera in hand and walking down the halls,_

_Girls staring and watching this guy with passion._

_No one seems to know who he is._

__

_Goth girl falls in love once,_

_With basketball boy, King of the Court._

_But her hearts breaks, for she has changed._

__

_Photo boy falls in love once,_

_With a child lost in naïveté._

_But he seems to be growing into maturity._

__

_But on school assignment,_

_Did Goth Girl and Photo Boy meet._

_And nothing seemed to be the same again._

__

_What happens when two worlds,_

_So different, so unique,_

_Harmonize with one another, so genuinely?_

"So, I'm guessing that I'm the Goth Girl?" Craig asked, making Ashley laugh. She slapped his stomach gently.

"Only if you want to be, Craig," she answered him, her laughter stopping. "Want to read another one?"

"Sure, let's read another one," he said, turning the pages, passing the longer poems and the poems by other poets. Then finally, he stopped at something he liked.

_For Reassurance, There You Are_

__

_It's all right._

_There's nothing to be afraid of._

_No one's laughing at you._

_I'm here, here for you._

__

_Don't worry, just hold my hand._

_Don't be scared, I've got you._

_Don't cry, you'll make me cry too._

__

_If you're lonely, come talk to me._

_If you need me, I'll be here for you._

_Believe me, love, because it's all true._

__

_You say those words everyday._

_With every touch of your hand,_

_With every smile you make._

_With every laugh you break into._

_With everything you say,_

_With every beat of your heart,_

_I believe you and all you do and say._

_Your reassurance is lovely._

"Wow," Craig whispered, still looking at the page. It was as if he was trying to get all the words to sink into his head. He looked down at Ash, who was looking back at him.

"You like it?" Ashley asked.

"Well…can't say anything bad about it because it's just…I don't know…"

"Too much?" she asked.

"No, not too much. Just…it's the deepest thing you've ever written. I mean, for me." He closed the book. "No one's ever written a poem about me. I just feel so…I don't know. So…lucky…happy…conceited. Anyway, are you ready for your present?"

"Oh, you mean the song?" Ashley said, which stopped Craig midway from putting his gifts back in his box.

"What? Who told you about that?" he said, turning to her.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. I had to ask around. And Marco broke and told me," she said, holding a sympathetic look on her face.

"Well, he told you, did he?" he asked, pulling up his guitar from beside the couch. "It looks like someone's going to die soon, if not be kicked out of the band first."

"Craig!" Ashley giggled, slapping his arm. He turned to her and smiled. Then, he turned back to his guitar, as he was tuning it. "So, did you just write this song or something?"

"Well, it was something I was working on for the past three days. It's new, no one has heard it before, except for the band."

"Ah, I see. New material, not to be heard by anyone else," Ashley said, nodding her head.

"Well, it's exclusively for you, Ms. Kerwin, as it's named after you."

"Oh, wow. Maybe, when Downtown Sasquatch gets famous, the song will be like one of those where everyone wants to know who Ashley Kerwin is," she said with excitement, but Craig knew she was just joking.

"Ash, you are on crazy girl, you know that right?"

"And that's why you like me, don't you?" she said, kissing his cheek.

"Yeah, that's why I like you," he said, turning his head so all Ashley while she was attempting to kiss his cheek was lip.

"All right, so this song…" Ashley said, pulling apart from Craig's lips.

"Yes, the song," Craig replied, pressing his hands down on the strings. "So, let's do this, huh?"

"Yeah, I want to hear the song," Ashley said.

"Okay, this song is called 'And You, Ashley Kerwin', because, well, it's about you," he explained. He strummed for a while, and then finally, lunged into song.

_Do you know that you kill me?_

_Every time you say you love me,_

_Because I die and go to heaven._

_And do you know that when I die, you save me,_

_Because your kisses, they revive me._

_I'm waiting to die again._

_Do you know that when I'm waiting?_

_Always anticipating, my heart just stops,_

_Because you smile that smile_

_That makes the whole world stop._

__

_You have a beauty that so hard to find._

_You have a song that no one else can rhyme._

_You have a spirit that flies so high._

_You have a heart that lasts all time._

_And you have a soul that's deeper than mine._

__

_And you, Ashley Kerwin,_

_You speak to me so well._

_You're not like anyone else._

_You actually know who I am,_

_Without asking who I am._

__

_And you, Ashley Kerwin,_

_Are the owner of my heart,_

_You have been from the start._

_And you keep it so well,_

_From being broken for anyone else._

_And you, Ashley Kerwin,_

_Are special because you love me,_

_Like I love you, always._

As Craig strummed the last chords of the song, Ashley's eyes filled to the brim. She looked up at Craig, and when he looked down at her, she wiped away her falling tears and said, "That…that's a…I mean, it's really…you know what I mean when I say that…wow, I'm speechless."

"Is that a good kind of speechless, or a the bad kind?" Craig asked, unsure of the answer.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked, a smile playing on her face.

Craig placed his guitar on the ground and then turned to kiss Ashley. "I think it's the good kind."

"Well then, there's your answer." She rested her head on his shoulder and said, "That's one of your better songs, I think."

"Only because it has your name in it," Craig joked.

"Shut up, that's not the reason. I liked it a lot because it makes me feel special, the way you describe how I make you feel. I didn't think I had such an impact on you, or anyone else."

"Well, I learned to write good lyrics from the best."

"Miss Kwan taught you how to write lyrics?" Ashley teased.

"Well…no, actually, yeah. But she wasn't the best." He kissed her forehead. "You are."

"Oh, Craig, I love you," she sighed.

"I love you too, Ash," he told her, but not because he felt complied to do so, but because he actually, truly knew he loved her. And Ashley knew that, one look in his eyes, and she knew that he loved her, and with every beat of her own heart, that she loved him back.

"I think it's time…to go upstairs," she told him in a whisper.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her, just to make sure that she didn't feel pressured to do it.

She looked up at him and replied with a nod and a kiss. And with that, Craig swept Ashley off her feet, literally, and carried her up the stairs and into his bedroom, where they would spend the rest of the night in each other's grace, love, and passion.

**Sorry to have made you guys wait so long for this. You can blame the stupid writer's block and school…ha, typical excuses, huh? Anyway, chapter five will be up shortly after.**


	5. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

****

Hey guys. Um, sorry for the delay in the fifth chapter, but I am trying my best to make it good…that and AP Gov. isn't being my best friend right now. Anyway, just a little change in the story. I wanted to change Manny's role to someone else. For me, personally, I don't really think Craig and Manny really do make a good pairing no offense, Craig/Manny shippers. So, what I did was made a new character, Claudia Spencer. I am introducing her as Heather Sinclair's bitchy best friend. Well, with that short description, you can only guess what her character is going to do next. Anyway, sorry for the confusion. I just wanted you all to know that Manny is not going to be in any shape or form part of the interruption of Ashley and Craig's relationship.

But what I _could _is make an alternate plotline so that it could be Ash/Craig/Manny. But I'll only do this if you all want me to. So leave a comment and tell me what you think I should do. Thanks guys!


	6. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?

"SCORE!" Craig shouted, standing up from the couch, waving his hands in the air. He hooted and tooted and made many kinds of noises that only made Ashley cover her ears and stare at her boyfriend as if he was the craziest boy in the world. "Come on, Maple Leafs!"

It was a Friday night, and Ashley was over at Craig's again, three weeks after they both celebrated their five-month anniversary. They were watching a hockey game, which is pretty much what they had been doing since their anniversary. Ashley felt like things between her and Craig had changed drastically. But to Craig, nothing had changed at all. No one else has noticed this because at school, they had seemed inseparable—always holding hands, making each other laugh, talking animatedly about many different things with their friends. But to Ashley, whenever they didn't have an audience to witness their dating behavior, it seemed to Ash that she and Craig were just friends, nothing more, nothing less.

"Ash, come on. The Leafs scored!" Craig said. He grabbed her hand and attempted to lift her off her seat to join in his festivities.

"Whoo! Go team! Let's trample the other team! Yeah…score more points," Ashley said, trying to get into the whole thing. "I'm having fun."

"Ash…" Craig sighed in distress, flipping down on the couch beside Ashley. "I called you over because you said we never go out anymore. Besides, we're having fun, right?"

"We never _do _go out anymore. And this isn't a date, officially. It's just hanging out. And I _was _having fun—when we were in your backyard, shielding ourselves from the cool breeze and drinking hot chocolate."

"A hockey game isn't fun?"

"Well, not really…not for me."  
There was a loud ruckus coming from the TV, which meant that the Leafs just scored another point, which Craig had missed.

"Oh no, I just missed a sweet play," Craig said, slapping his head. "Ash, can we talk about this later?"

"Sure, later," she said, getting up from her seat. She grabbed her bag and was ready to head out the door.

"Where are you going?" Craig asked, only realizing Ashley had left him on the couch after he watched a slow motion replay of the game.

"I'm going home, Craig," she answered. "If you wanted to watch hockey with someone, you should've just called Jimmy or Spinner."

"Ash, come on," he said, getting up from the couch to stop her from going away. "Look, I'll turn off the TV, we can go back in the backyard and you know, do what we were doing before."

"No, it's okay. I wouldn't want to deprive you of watching something that is so important to you," Ashley said, with no trace of sarcasm in her voice. "I know how much you love hockey, so I'll just let you watch."

"Okay, then why don't you stay with me—so I can watch two of my favorite things together?"

Ashley thought it over for a while. Then, she said, "Fine. What could it hurt watching hockey, huh? Paige does it all the time."

"There you go. Now, _that's _my Ashley," Craig said as he led her to the couch.

* * *

"And that's it, that's all? He just wasted five minutes of persuading you to stay at his house for a little while longer, and after that, he went on to watch hockey, ignoring you were there?" Ellie asked Ashley. It was Saturday morning, and the two of them were shopping around in Kensington Market.

"Sounds about right. Only he didn't ignore me after the game, though," Ashley said. "He wanted to celebrate with a total make-out session. And it wasn't the good kind."

"Meaning?"

"His kisses were wet and sloppy, and kind of awkward. And different. It's not like the cute, sweet, short kisses that I like, you know. Those kisses were the ones I loved the best."

"Okay, Ash, you're going to have to stop that. Your description is making me sick to my stomach."

"Sorry," Ashley said.

"Okay, so recap right now: He invited you over to his house so that you both could spend some time together, because you hadn't been on a date ever since your anniversary. So, you come over, and he plays romantic for an hour. But when the hockey game comes on, he shuts down the romantic side of him completely, and then goes back to being a total guy?"

"Sounds about right."

"What has gotten into him?" Ellie asked in shock.

"Beats the hell out of me," Ash responded.

"How do you feel about it?"

"Well…" Ashley said slowly, to give the impression that it didn't really bother her. "At first, you know, when Craig and I hadn't been going on dates, I figured that it was just because the band had to rehearse and stuff, because that's what he told me. But then, after about the second week, it really bothered me that the band practices in the afternoon from Sunday to Thursday, leaving Friday and Saturday free."

"And Fridays and Saturdays _are _date nights, which Craig isn't taking total advantage of," Ellie said.

"Right. But then, I brushed it off because, well, the band _has _been practicing all week. Eventually, he will need a break."

"But Ashley, this has been happening how many weeks now?"

"Well, two…"

"And there were no dates, no hanging out with him, unless the two of you are at school, am I right?"

"Well, yeah. But Ellie…"

"Hey," Ellie said, turning and pointing at Ashley, accusingly. "Don't 'But Ellie' me. This is your time to vent about your stupid, insensitive boyfriend right now, and you're just going to brush it off, as 'he's tired from all the band practicing'? Ash, come on—vent, be heard, get pissed off."

"All right, all right…" Ashley said, calming Ellie down by placing a hand on her shoulder. "By the way, since when have you become Paige?"

"Shut up."

"It just makes me feel…useless. I mean, what good am I? His trophy girlfriend? Something he can show off to the rest of the world, claiming that he is mine forever? But when we are in the seclusion of our own private little world, I no longer exist, I am not longer trophy girlfriend, or rather no longer a girlfriend at all?" Ashley paused for a moment. "I haven't told anyone this, and I know Craig hasn't told anyone either, but you're the only one I'm letting know, so don't say anything to anyone."

"You know me better than that, Ash."

"Okay, well. That night, our anniversary night…Craig and I…well, we sort of took it to the next level."

"Meaning…"

"We did it. We had sex. We made love. We did the horizontal hula dance."

"Oh, okay." Ellie stopped eating her ice cream cone. "And…"

"Well, now, for me, it feels like because I had given myself to him, he no longer needs to be clingy, or sweet, or act like a super-totally great boyfriend. Like, he just needs to be the way he was before he was dating me. It's like he no longer needs me."

"Like all he wanted was the sex, and now that he's had it, it's like 'Hey Ash, thanks for the love-making, but we're just going to hang out as friends from now on. No dates, no flowers, no nothing. Goodbye'."

"That's exactly the way I feel. I mean, Craig means the world to me, but for some reason, it feels like I mean a rock to him."

"It could be a really, really, _really _big rock," Ellie joked. "And maybe you're overreacting. I mean, Craig doesn't seem like that type of guy. Spinner might be, but Craig? No way, he's sweet."

Ashley shrugged her shoulder, as if she wasn't really buying Ellie's words. So, Ellie quickly added, "It might feel that way to you, but what it really is, or what it really could be, is that your relationship is no longer a new thing for you and Craig. It's been, what, five months now. So, it's no longer flowers everyday, no longer whispers of sweet nothings, no longer acting stupid in front of each other to try to make a good impression. Craig just feels comfortable with you now, and you feel comfortable with him. So the dates, the romantic gestures, the whatever it is you two do, no longer feel necessary because you've got him, and he's got you. And you know it."

Ashley considered this for a moment. "Maybe you're right, Elle. I shouldn't have jumped into conclusions."

"Well, that's why you have me, to balance things out for you," Ellie said. Then, she put on her best prep voice and said, "So, tell me, Miss Kerwin, how _was _the sex?"  
"Eleanor McKenzie Nash!" Ashley said in mock anger.

That evening, the band had an emergency practice because, well, they kind of _did _suck. So, instead of not doing anything about sucking so bad, Craig decided that they needed to stop sucking badly and give practicing a try. After two hours of going at it, repeating the same song over and over again, but only to come out short with it, Spinner decided he had had enough and requested a break.

"Fine," Craig gave in, only after Jimmy and Marco had convinced him that it was for the better. "But, don't go eating all the food in the refrigerator, and we will be going at it again in twenty minutes!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Jimmy said, mock saluting him.

"Come on, Jim. Let's see what Mr. Jeremiah has stashed this week," Spinner told Jimmy, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the kitchen.

Once the two of them were gone, Marco sat on the couch and began tuning his bass. He looked up at Craig, who looked out of it, as if he were thinking of something. After tuning his instrument, Marco placed it on its stand, and said, "So, Ellie called me in the afternoon, after she and Ash came back from their shopping spree."

"Uh, uh," Craig hummed, still completely out of it. He stared at the floor, pretending to strum a few chords, as if practicing more.

"And, uh, she mentioned something about you and Ash."

"Yeah," Craig instinctively said.

"And Ash feels like the relationship is going nowhere anymore."

"Uh."

"So, she is contemplating taking a break from you," Marco concluded. "Which is something that should worry you…are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, you said something about Ellie and Ashley contemplating to go nowhere for spring break," Craig said, finally snapping out of his little zoning out moment.

"What? No, that's not what I said!" Marco almost shouted. "Dude, you're not even listening to me! No wonder Ash wants to take a break."

"What? Ash wants to break up with me?!"

"No, that's not what I said. See, you're not listening at all."

"Well, what, then? What is it?"

"Ellie told me that Ash feels that your relationship with her is going nowhere already. And that's really bad."

Craig stopped what he did altogether. He took a seat next to Marco, his face contorted as if he had just been told that he's really a girl and must get a sex change to correct a few body parts. "Well, what else? What else is Ashley feeling?"

From what I've heard, Ashley feels like she gave a great part of her to you, and now all of sudden, you're acting as if you don't need her."

"What?"

"I know, _exactly! _What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Marco said.

"No, it's not that, Marco. I already know what it means."

"Well, care to share?"

"Um…" Craig paused, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know if I should be telling this to you, because you know, it's between Ash and me."

"Come on, Craig. Am I _not _your relationship advice giver?"

"Well…"

"Come on…you can tell me anything," Marco urged, as if trying to get a little kid to trust him. "You _know _you want to tell me."

"Fine," Craig gave in. "Ash and I sort of, you know, did it. We sort of had sex."

"How can you 'sort of' do it? Don't you have to go _all the way _with sex? Was it like, you were half way there, and then all of sudden, you stopped in the middle of it?"

"Marco, I know you give me advice on relationships, but I also know you need to shut up now," Craig told him.

"Sorry. I just…you _can't _'sort of' have sex. That's stupid," Marco thought aloud. Craig gave him a menacing look. "Sorry."

"Fine, if it makes you happy, Mr. I-Need-To-Be-Politically-Correct, we did it—all the way. We had sex, completely. There, you happy?"

"Very, thanks." Marco smiled contently. "So, Ash feels that since she gave her virginity to you, you're finished with her, huh?"  
"But it's _not _that way," Craig answered. Marco raised an eyebrow. "Marco! It isn't! I swear to you, it isn't. I mean…I love Ash. A lot. And you know that. And I know that. And she knows that."

"Then why this? Why all this insecurity in your relationship?"

"Because it's Ash being Ash. You know how sensitive she can get. That, and moody. But that's one thing I like about her. One thing I hate about her, too."

"Then why put up with it?" Marco asked, pulling a little reverse psychology on Craig.

Craig turned to him, half-smiled, and said, "Because she's my girlfriend. And she's always there for me." Then, he turned away from him, and his smile disappeared. "But there are times when she can get under my skin."

"Like?"

"Like last night. She acted like a total girl on me."

"Well, Craig, hon," Marco said, placing a hand on Craig's shoulder, and pulling off his best Paige, "if you haven't noticed, Ash _is _a total girl."

"Okay, I'll give you _that_. But she was acting distant herself last night. All throughout the game, she didn't even try _once _to talk to me or anything like that. It was like she was mad at me or something."

"Well, did you do anything else other than watch the game or something? Like cuddle or something? Talk during commercials? Explain to her the rules of the game, to get her involved with you while watching the game? Did you say something before, after, or during any part of the game that would offend her?" Marco asked.

"No, we didn't cuddle. I talked to her during commercials only to ask her if she was all right, she need something to drink or eat, and to see if she was sleepy or not. She already knew the rules of the game, so what's the point in telling it to her once again? And, I don't think I have ever said anything to offend her. Well…" Craig trailed off.

"'Well' what, buddy?"

"Well, Ash and I got into a mini argument regarding how we never go on dates anymore, and she said something about how watching a hockey game isn't all that fun. And then, at that moment, I missed this awesome play by the Leafs, and I told her, 'Oh no, I missed a sweet play. Can we talk about this later?'"

"And I assume she wasn't all right with this?"

"Well, she wasn't, really. I mean, not until I persuaded to stay a while at my house. Then she calmed down. But she became all moody again."

"What you need to do, Craig, is to take her out. It's obvious she wants to go out somewhere. And not to your house, or to hers, or to anyone's house. She wants to go _out—_see a movie, go for dinner, see a concert, do whatever. Can't you see how she desperately wants to be with you?"

"You know what, Marco? I'm going to take her out. And it's going to be the best damn date she'll ever go on."

"You know what, Craig? I totally believe you."


End file.
